


From His Shoulder Into His Arms

by Lumelle



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Parent Hibari Kyouya, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 03:56:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13045986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/pseuds/Lumelle
Summary: When Roll the hedgehog is turned into Roll the child, everyone gets a bit out of sorts. Well, everyone but Hibari, who apparently takes sudden fatherhood entirely in his stride.





	From His Shoulder Into His Arms

**Author's Note:**

> I got a mental image of Roll as Hibari's kid. I decided I had to write it.

It started, as far too many things did, with a battle.

Really, Tsuna probably should have been more concerned about the fact that he now considered a battle a regular occurrence. However, he knew there was no way out of this by now. His life was full of mafia and battles and assassins, whether he liked it or not, so all he could do was make the best of it. At least he didn’t have to race these things alone, not as long as he had his friends.

Friends, in this instance, apparently also involved Hibari, as the assassin of the day had been foolish enough to attack on the school grounds. No doubt Hibari would later punish Tsuna and his friends for bringing the trouble to the school, never mind that they’d been attacked out of the blue, but that was fine. At least Hibari had never tried to actually kill him, while this guy from some small no-name family seemed intent on doing just that.

“The Scythe of Sacrifice will soon drink your blood, Vongola!” The crazy-eyed man practically screeched with every word, and really, Tsuna would have questioned his sanity if it hadn’t already been rather dubious. Very few stable individuals walked around with red mohawks and ten-foot scythes on a regular day, in his experience. “And your death shall bring life to Mr. Snufflekins!”

Right. There was also the part where the guy was apparently convinced that killing someone with his magical scythe would bring his teddybear to life. Because apparently, this was Tsuna’s life now.

“Oh, just die already.” Hibari was actually looking more bored than angry now, and really, that was saying something. “You will not be sacrificing anyone on the school grounds, certainly not a student of Namimori Middle School.” Roll squeaked from his shoulder, glaring defiantly at the attacker.

“You dare question me?” Okay, definitely not in his right mind. “I will have your life instead!”

“Right. We’ll see about that.” Hibari yawned, turning around. “You can take care of this pest, Sawada Tsunayoshi.”

“Face me!” The man attacked Hibari, swinging at his back. Tsuna was too far to interfere, didn’t even have time to call out a warning, but in the end it would have made no difference. Hibari started to turn, but something small and spiky got in the way of the attack first.

“Pupii!”

Time seemed to freeze as the scythe dug deep into Roll, the curved end surpassing the strong spikes and cutting into the soft underbelly. Tsuna heard Yamamoto gasping and Gokudera cursing under his breath, could feel his own lungs clenching in his chest. He saw Hibari turning around in slow motion, saw the way Hibari’s eyes widened as he saw Roll falling to the ground, whimpering in pain.

Well. Now there was absolutely no question of this idiot getting brought down.

With Hibari attacking the assassin with more fury than Tsuna could remember in ages, Tsuna took it upon himself to rush to check up on Roll. The tiny hedgehog had curled up around his wounded belly, growing larger and spikier to protect itself. Tsuna knelt down next to it, not daring to touch.

Could they heal box animals? Could they get permanently injured? Tsuna had no idea. Of course their animals had gotten hurt before, but this didn’t look like the regular bruises and burns. Roll was shivering and whimpering, and Tsuna desperately wanted to help but didn’t know how. All he could do was hover nearby, watching as the tiny hedgehog turned into a steely sphere like a bug weaving a cocoon.

Then the sphere started to break, with light shining from the cracks, and Tsuna panicked.

“Hibari-san!” He would have said this was more important than the attacker, but the man had already been beaten to the ground, so he wasn’t important anyway. “Hibari-san, something’s happening to Roll!”

The next moment he found himself pushed aside as Hibari rushed to Roll’s side. Unlike Tsuna, Hibari didn’t hesitate in reaching to touch the shell of Roll’s sphere, cloud flames billowing out around him as though trying to will more strength into his pet.

There was a deafening crack as the sphere shattered, and Tsuna held his breath, not sure if he should even look at what was underneath. Instead of rage or horror, though, Hibari’s voice was almost… gentle, somehow, as he spoke. “Well, hello there, little one.”

Tsuna blinked and looked over, expecting to see the familiar little hedgehog peeking out from the remnants of the shell. Instead, he found himself looking at what looked an awful lot like a toddler. A human toddler.

“Wait, what?” Gokudera frowned. “What’s going on?”

The child looked at them all with scared eyes, then settled on Hibari. The child reached out pudgy little arms, clearly asking to be picked up. “Papa? Roll up!”

Tsuna spluttered in shock and heard Gokudera swear again. Even Yamamoto murmured something in a startled tone, but Hibari simply took on something like a smile.

“Sure. Let’s first make sure you don’t get too cold, though.” Hibari shrugged off his school uniform jacket, wrapping it around the naked little child. With that, he lifted the child into his arms, cradling him close to his chest. “Let’s get you home now, hmm? Don’t worry, that nasty man won’t get you ever again.”

The kid nodded mutely, hiding his face against Hibari’s chest. Tsuna couldn’t find his voice until Hibari had already walked away, apparently entirely unconcerned by the scene he left behind. “Wait. Was that Roll?”

“Huh, what do you know.” Yamamoto shrugged, grinning a bit. “I suppose that guy’s death and life stuff wasn’t all made up, even if it didn’t work the way he thought.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Gokudera frowned. “The box animals are, well, animals! They have personalities, sure, but it doesn’t make any sense for one to turn into a kid!”

“Well, to be fair, a lot of things about this don’t make sense.” Tsuna sighed, looking at the now unconscious assassin. “We should probably call Reborn to take care of this mess, and then figure out what to do next about all this.”

And here he had been hoping that random assassins would be the weirdest thing he would have to deal with this week.

*

Fon blinked as he heard the sound of the front door, several hours before he had expected it. A glance at the clock on the wall confirmed that school was not even out yet, never mind that Kyouya usually stayed a while after, making sure nothing disturbed the school’s peace during club hours. This was… worrying.

“Kyouya?” Fon abandoned the Japanese practice sheet he had been making for I-Pin, hopping down from the table and heading toward the door. “Kyouya, did something happen?”

“I’m fine.” Which was not exactly what he had asked, but what he was mostly concerned about, anyway. “I may need to borrow some of your clothes, though.”

“Why?” Fon frowned, his worry only growing. “I swear, if you’ve managed to get yourself cursed or something —”

He stepped out into the hallway and paused. Kyouya was there, just stepping out of the genkan. What caught Fon’s attention, however, was the small form in Kyouya’s arms.

“It’s not for me.” Kyouya adjusted the child on his arm. “I just need something for Roll to wear until I manage to buy him something of his own.”

“Roll?” Come to think of it, the child did have spiky hair almost silvery in color, and his eyes were the rather distinctive purple of the gems adorning Kyouya’s hedgehog. This wasn’t a hedgehog, though, this was most definitely a child, one who aside from the color of his hair and eyes looked just like a younger Kyouya. “But — how?”

“Some sort of a weapon. I’m sure Sawada has already informed the other baby, if you need more information. I didn’t exactly stay behind to investigate further with a scared, naked child to take care of.” Kyouya turned his eyes to the child, and smiled almost gently. “Don’t be shy, Roll. Say hi to your grandpa.”

“…Hi.” And oh, he even sounded like Kyouya as a child.

“Ah. Hi there, Roll.” Fon smiled. Maybe there were a lot of questions to be answered, and certainly a lot of things would have to be figured out soon, but right now, there was a child and Fon wasn’t quite old enough to have forgotten how to deal with that. “Let’s go find you some actual clothes, all right? And then we need to make a proper shopping list.”

Roll nodded. “Okay!”

“I could very much use your help there,” Kyouya admitted. “I have some ideas about what will be needed, but I do not exactly have experience.”

“You, admitting you need help? To think I would see the day.” Which was not entirely fair, mind; Kyouya had no trouble admitting he needed assistance in things he didn’t consider important. If he knew his dear grandson at all, though, this was very important indeed.

“Of course. I do need to make sure I take proper care of my son, after all.” Fon lifted his eyebrows, which made Kyouya smirk. “What? Roll would not be here if not for my flames. Clearly, I am his father, and I have no intention of shirking my responsibilities.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.” If there was one thing Kyouya took seriously, it was responsibility, after all. “Well, trust that I will be doing my best to assist you in any way I can. After all,” he chuckled as he turned to lead the way to his bedroom and the wardrobe there, “that’s what grandparents are for, right?” Even if he hadn’t planned on being in this position in quite a while yet.

But then, Kyouya was nothing if not surprising.

*

If Tsuna had held any doubts about whether the events of the day before had in fact happened, all such things would have been chased away by the sight he was met with at the gates of the school.

Hibari was standing there, just enough out of the way to keep his distance to the arriving crowds while still able to keep an eye on everyone. At his feet there was a toddler playing intently with a yellow stuffed bird, ignoring all the gazes and whispers from the students.

“Okay, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Gokudera snorted, falling in step next to Tsuna. “He actually brought the brat to school?”

“Well, it’s not like Hibari-san could just leave him on his own, right?” Granted, Tsuna didn’t know anything about Hibari’s home life, but he couldn’t just assume that everyone had a mother at home who could and would happily drop everything to look after some surprise children.

“And why not? It’s not like he’s never left his animals alone before.”

Perhaps Gokudera spoke too loudly, or they were just passing by too close. Either way, the toddler flinched, and the next moment Hibari was right next to them, the spiked end of his tonfa pointing directly at Gokudera’s throat.

“Gokudera Hayato.” Hibari’s voice was hardly more than a hiss. “If I ever hear you calling my son an animal again, I will bite you to death regardless of whether he’s watching.”

Gokudera, it seemed, was no better about knowing when to quit than he had ever been. “Hell, I’d think you’d rather call him your pet! It’s one thing for a middle school student to have a pet, but a kid? That’s got to be against the school discipline or something!”

Tsuna froze, certain this would lead to a fight that he would inevitably get dragged into. Hibari’s eyes certainly sparked rather dangerously, but then, the spike at the end of his tonfa retracted. “The school discipline is me,” he growled. “And even an idiot like you should be able to see that this is clearly not a hedgehog.”

Gokudera seemed like he was about to say something, but Tsuna touched his arm, hoping to stop the conflict before things got any worse. “Ah. Maybe you should go check on Roll-kun, Hibari-san? He looks pretty upset.”

With one last glare at Gokudera, Hibari put his tonfa away, turning back to the child. “Ah, don’t mind these stupid herbivores.” He picked up both Roll and the toy, looking awfully natural at that. “Come on, let’s go see if Kusakabe will build you a fort in the meeting room.”

Tsuna might have thought that was the end of it, and really he was just relieved things hadn’t ended with a fight. A few days later, however, he heard people murmuring to each other as he arrived at school. As soon as he walked into the classroom, he got cornered by Kyoko-chan and Haru.

“Ah, Tsuna-kun!” Kyoko-chan smiled. “Youre friends with Hibari-san, right?”

“Ah. I… don’t know if I’d say that?” Tsuna rubbed the back of his neck. “Why? Did something happen?” It couldn’t be about Roll, could it? If it was, they would have come to him earlier.

“Well, we were hoping you could tell us.” Hana crossed her arms over her chest. “Apparently, people have been seeing him wearing a high school uniform.”

“What?” Tsuna’s eyes widened. “That — really?”

“Ah, so I suppose you don’t know about it, either.” Kyoko-chan looked almost disappointed. “I hope he’s all right. It can’t be easy to suddenly be responsible for a child!”

“Ah, I’m sure Hibari-san can handle it.” And really, shouldn’t Kyoko-chan have had a bit more of a reaction to a student at their school suddenly claiming a toddler as their child? A newborn would have been bad enough.

“Well, if you find out, let us know.” Which was more of an order than a request, really, judging by Hana’s expression.

Now, Tsuna was not quite self-destructive enough to go and ask Hibari of his own volition, but as luck would have it, as he went up to the roof to eat his lunch with Yamamoto and Gokudera they were met with a sight both familiar and not. Hibari napping on the roof was not unusual at all, of course, but the sight of a little kid napping on his chest was at once adorable and somehow terrifying. And, well. That was definitely a Namimori High School uniform.

Hibari opened his eyes before Tsuna could usher his friends out of the danger zone, though he remained still otherwise. “What are you doing here?”

“Ahah, we could ask you the same!” Yamamoto chuckled, as though he’d just made a brilliant joke rather than a very dangerous comment. “Isn’t that a high school uniform?”

“Obviously.” Hibari snorted as though this had been something trivial rather than a pretty significant fact. “What about it?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb!” Gokudera stomped his foot on the ground. “This is a middle school!”

“Was it not you who stated just a couple of days ago that it was not appropriate for a middle school student to be a parent?” Hibari smirked a little. “So, I enrolled in high school.”

“So, uh… why are you here, then?” Tsuna wasn’t sure why he was even asking. He should have just fled by now, really.

“Oh, that.” Hibari yawned. “The school officials gave me permission to study from home, since Roll is not ready for daycare yet and bringing a child along to class could get troublesome.” Oh, Tsuna wasn’t surprised at all that the high school would have been all too happy for Hibari to stay away as much as he could. “And, well, Nami Middle does still need discipline.”

“Right. Of course.” Tsuna nodded hastily. “We’ll, ah, we’ll go eat our lunch elsewhere. Wouldn’t want to disturb Roll-kun’s nap.”

Hibari made a non-committal sound, closing his eyes again. Fortunately even Gokudera didn’t protest at Tsuna hurrying them away from the roof, though Tsuna had no doubt there would be a lot of loud words about this later. Maybe he wasn’t incapable of learning, after all.

At least now he could give an answer to Kyoko-chan and Hana-chan, for all that it didn’t really explain anything at all.

*

Even as Dino arrived at Kyouya’s house, he was still not sure if Tsuna had been serious.

It didn’t really help that Tsuna’s call had been anything but clear, just some brief mentions of Kyouya and a child and something about a fight, which really didn’t make sense. Why would Kyouya have a child? Sure, he liked small and cute things, but Dino doubted he had graduated to kidnapping just yet.

Well, about time to find out. Assuming he didn’t just get kicked in the face for daring to even arrive at Kyouya’s door. Romario was certainly staying at a careful distance behind him, the traitor.

“Kyouya?” Dino knocked at the doorframe. He’d rarely visited Kyouya’s home, and had always been ushered out for a fight every time he’d dared to appear. He wasn’t sure how to proceed now, especially given that he’d given no advance warning.

His doubts rising, Dino was almost prepared to turn away and leave as the door was opened with a sharp movement. “Be quiet,” Kyouya hissed, glaring at him. Was that a different school uniform? Dino wasn’t all that familiar with all the different variations of Nami Middle uniforms, but he was pretty sure he’d never seen something quite like this. “Roll is napping.”

“Oh?” Dino blinked, then almost instinctively checked both Kyouya’s shoulders and his head. However, he found no little hedgehogs curled up for naps. “Where?”

“On the couch.” Kyouya rolled his eyes as though Dino was being an idiot. “He’s why you’re here, isn’t it? Sawada must have informed you.”

“Wait. Wait wait.” Dino wasn’t sure he was entirely up to speed here, and he definitely didn’t think this was something he should let slip by without confirmation. “So when Tsuna talked about a child…”

“That would be Roll.” Kyouya turned, walking back into the house. “Take your shoes off or I will bite you to death.”

Fortunately Dino was fairly familiar with Japanese customs by now, toeing off his shoes and putting on guest slippers before venturing further into the house. Romario followed his example with a far too amused expression. Kyouya did not wait for them, disappearing into the house. When Dino followed, he found Kyouya in the living room, sitting on the couch with a little child curled up next to him.

“So… that’s him?” It was bizarre, seeing the child. He looked like a small Kyouya — or, in fact, rather a lot like Fon — except with spiky, lighter hair. “And you’re saying he used to be Roll?”

“He is Roll.” Kyouya huffed. “Just because he’s human now doesn’t mean he’s changed.”

“Kyouya, you can’t call a child Roll!” At Kyouya’s unimpressed gaze, Dino sighed. “I mean, it’s a fine name for a pet. Even a nickname for a young child, sure. But a human child needs a human name!”

Kyouya seemed to consider this for a moment. “I suppose you have suggestions, then? Do keep in mind, of course, that he is very young, and would likely have trouble recognizing a name very different from what he’s used to.”

“Uh.” Well, now that Kyouya put him on the spot, he was very nearly drawing a blank. “Raoul?”

Kyouya snorted. “You may have missed this, but I am not Italian, and neither is my son.” He petted the spiky hair with surprising gentleness. “Hm… I suppose Hibari Rio would not be a bad name for a child.”

“Rio? That sounds nice.” Dino chuckled. “Though you’ll have to teach me how to write it.” He was getting pretty good at written Japanese, but name kanji could get complicated.

“Ri for village, and o for sakura blossom.” The response was immediate, so much so that Dino had to wonder if he hadn’t been planning it for a while now.

“Ah, right. Because Kyouya will always protect his village, right?” Dino grinned, expecting a glare and some rebuke for his jokes. Instead, all he got was a nod.

“Indeed I will.” And with such a firm tone, Dino almost pitied anyone foolish enough to try to hurt Kyouya’s precious child. “Nobody will harm my son as long as I breathe.”

“So… he’s your son.” And really, he wasn’t surprised at all that Kyouya would have come to that conclusion. “You have everything set up for him, then? Paperwork and everything?”

“Of course. The Namimori officials were quite happy to provide me with all the necessary paperwork when I informed them of his details.” Kyouya’s hand carded through the spiky hair again. “His age seems to correspond to how long it has been since I first opened the box, so that’s what we put down for his birthdate.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” Dino nodded, then blinked as something occurred to him. “Oh, you must need all sort of things for him! Not to say you aren’t taking care of him, of course,” he hurried to add as Kyouya glared at him. “Just, a child can never have too many toys and clothes! Oh, I think I’ll have fun shopping for him.”

“I don’t need your help to provide for my son, but I suppose I can’t stop you if you wish to give him gifts.” Kyouya glanced down at the sleeping child. “Just, no weapons of any kind, and nothing noisy. He seems to be even more sensitive and easily startled than he was before the transformation. Not that I blame him, considering the circumstances that led to his current condition.”

This was apparently all Kyouya was going to say about this, and Dino knew better than to push for details right now. He’d just have to try to find out the full story from Tsuna. Instead, he caught onto the other obvious hook. “No weapons?” he echoed. “You’re not teaching him to fight?” He would have thought that to be Kyouya’s first priority regarding any child in his care.

“If he wants to learn one day, of course I will. For now, I see no reason to.” Kyouya shrugged. “Roll the hedgehog may have been my partner in battle, and that was fine at the time.” Because of course Kyouya would not call his friend a weapon. “Rio the child, however, is someone for me to protect. If he needs to fight, I will have failed. And I do not plan to fail him.”

“So… you’re not going to be disappointed at him for being weak?” Because frankly, Dino had worried about that. Kyouya did not exactly take well to anyone he deemed herbivores.

“He’s a child. There is a difference between the willfully weak and those who are still growing.” Kyouya paused. “Though even if he never wishes to fight, I will continue to protect him.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Dino smiled. “A child should always be able to trust in the protection of their parent, and Kyouya always protects his own.”

“Always.” It was an agreement, a promise, and a threat all in one, and Dino was delighted to hear it. Not that the sight of Kyouya soothing a child hadn’t made him feel warm inside all on its own.

He might have sighed a bit too deeply as they left, already thinking up all the things Dino wanted to buy for their new little friend. Certainly he drew Romario’s attention, as his second in command chuckled.

“You know, boss, the ring of Don Cavallone is just a regular signet ring.”

“What do you mean?” Dino blinked. That seemed like a non sequitur, which was not very common from Romario.

Romario smirked, and okay, that was definitely uncommon. “All I’m saying is, unlike the ring of Vongola it doesn’t require blood relation to be passed down. An adopted heir would do just fine.”

“I — what are you even talking about?” Okay, now Dino was flustered, and Romario was obviously amused, and this was just not good at all. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh, I’m sure you can figure it out on your own.” Romario patted his shoulder. “I have full faith in you, Boss.”

And really, just for that, Romario was going to be carrying all the shopping bags.

*

“Is everything all right, little one?”

Rio seemed startled Fto hear Fon’s voice, and really, that was all the proof he needed that not everything was fine. Even so, he waited patiently, until the child shook his head. “Um… I’m fine?”

“Perhaps make it less of a question, dear.” Fon stepped closer. Rio was huddled up on his usual chair by the kitchen table, staring at a drawing he wasn’t really working on. “It’s your birthday. Surely you shouldn’t be hiding out in the kitchen.” And wasn’t that a thought; Rio had been with them for well over two years now. He might have found it hard to believe, if not for the very obvious voices of Kyouya and Dino arguing about party decorations in the living room. Apparently there was some disagreement on whether actual candles were appropriate for a fifth birthday or not. For someone who did not seem to care much about his personal safety, Kyouya could sometimes be rather overprotective when it came to Rio.

“I’m not hiding! I’m just… keeping a secret.”

“Oh?” Fon chuckled, hopping up to the chair next to Rio’s. He’d been growing, just enough to stay ahead of the actual child, but he still had a ways to go. “Can you at least tell me what kind of a secret?”

“It’s… it’s my birthday wish.” Rio hid his face in his hands, but peeked at Fon through his fingers. “Dino said if I make a birthday wish it could come true, but I can’t tell anyone about it!”

“Oh, that kind of a secret.” Fon nodded in agreement. “Well, if you’d rather be quiet about it, that’s fine. But do you know something?” He leaned in closer, giving a conspiratorial whisper. “Grandpas don’t count.”

Rio blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Just that if keeping the secret is really hard, you can tell me and it won’t count.” Fon patted one of Rio’s hands. “You don’t have to, of course. I would never pry. But I also remember your papa had a hard time keeping secrets when he was your age, so if you do want to tell someone, I’m all ears.” Of course, Kyouya had long since grown out of that habit, but by now Fon had learned to read him quite well.

Rio seemed to consider this for a moment. Finally, he scooted closer and murmured, “I’m wishing for another papa.”

“Oh?” Fon blinked. “What’s wrong with the one you already have?”

“Nothing! Papa is the best papa.” Rio frowned as though offended that Fon would suggest anything else. “But he’s just one papa. And most people in my kindergarten have a mama and a papa, but I know papa doesn’t want a mama. So I could have another papa instead and it would be just the same!”

“Ah, I see.” Fon chuckled. The childish logic was rather heartwarming, really. “Well, I don’t think you need to worry about that much longer, really.” Not with the way Kyouya and his dear don were looking at each other even while arguing.

“I hope so.” Rio gave a sigh far deeper than his years. “Papa smiles a lot more when Dino is around. I wish we could see him more often.” Right. Apparently those gazes were obvious enough even for a five-year-old to notice.

“Well, maybe things will change for the better.” Fon smiled. “Though you know, you could just tell your papa that you like having Dino around. That’s not the same as telling him your secret, right?”

“Right!” Rio’s eyes lit up, purple and bright and still somehow very similar to Kyouya’s. Then, in another clear similarity, he apparently decided that waiting was something best suited for other people, hopping down from his chair and rushing out of the room. A moment later Fon heard him breaking up the argument by demanding to speak to his father in private.

Of course, another moment later Dino arrived in the kitchen, looking a bit sheepish as he asked Fon if proposing to Kyouya would be a good idea or if it might ruin Rio’s birthday with more conflict. And, really. Fon hadn’t even known it was possible to feel at once too young and too old for something.

Of course, all that got derailed when they discovered quite by accident that Rio could, in fact, still grow spikes when startled by a popping balloon. But then, when had their family ever done anything the ordinary way?


End file.
